New Direction for Zalma Branch (photos)

Looks good Jim! I am glad you kept the flavor of the "Branch" intact. Looking FWD to seeing your new adventure progress.

 

Woo Hoo! I was googling around the net and found this 1889 Time Table for the Brownwood and Northwestern RY. This is the Zalma Branch when it was only 2 years old! Its interesting (to me) that it shows Greenbrier as two separate words. It even mentions Mississippi River steamboat connections. I've never seen this Time Table before so I feel as if I've discovered a treasure. Pardon my excitement.

 

And the Cape Girardeau and Southwestern in 1889.

 

Fascinating...looks like the "Hunter Branch" only went as far as Williamsville. Any thoughts on where Cousinville, Rock Levee and Buyer's were located between Cape and Delta?

Best Regards,

 

Not a clue, Chris. "Boyer" is approximately where Blomeyer is mileage wise. I think I've read somewhere about Rock Levee in a book about the history of Cape. I'll double check. I never know when a clue of history might turn up. Cousinville would have probably been near the switch at Nash. There's a few more names on that list that I'm not familiar with.

 

I found a Rock Levee Rd. Just north of Scott City and it is in the right area to be near the old Houck line. I need to take the Jeep out that way and "investigate".

 

Thanks for the insight, Jim. So many of those places from long ago are probably not even a memory for most folks anymore. Even a place as happening as Brooks Jct. in the 20s-30s, where the Leachville Sub crossed the Chaffee Sub was nothing much to speak of when I was last there some 20 years ago.

Best Regards,

 

Sometimes I feel like a railroad archeologist. Don't some of you all? I've found and recovered two artifacts from the Zalma branch. The top item is a fish plate found (using a metal detector) in the Lauderdale cut and the bridge hardware was recovered from the bridge remains below the surface of the Castor River. I'm proud of these treasures seeing as how the rails where pulled up 80 years ago.

 

My latest Westerfield kit joins the fleet. I just finished adding the decals to this 36' wooden coal gondola (it's the third one I've built, I love these things). Tomorrow I'll weather it and add a coal load. I think the Frisco's billboard cars were the coolest of any era!

 

The layout is going green. No more fall scene at Castor River bridge. I've decided to make the entire layout set in summer time.

I also finished weathering the coal car. I've been busy.

 

Just a quick video of rebuilt #97 pulling the daily mixed through Greenbrier. I hope this video link works.
http://s272.photobucket.com/user/jimjames63/media/4D92D20D-B7B3-4BD4-9916-0345F1B0EC76.mp4.html
It works but the quality is not the best. I need to figure out the YouTube situation instead of photobucket.

 

Thanks for the kind comments. I need to get busy building up the town of Richardson and adding structures to Brownwood. I've been doing things willy nilly. Building wagons and stock cars and such. I'm also going to add staging and a duck under to allow a continuos loop. So much to do. Always taking a "new direction".

 

This just great modeling Jim. I am so glad you decided to keep the Zalma Branch in tact as much as you have. Your such a talented modeler. I always enjoy your videos and photos.
Thanks for sharing.

 

That's good advice, Sherrel. I'll have to brush up on my engineering and construction skills. I probably would get tired of a duck under. Thanks.

 

I just finished building a Woodland Scenics Diamond T truck into a flat bed for hauling lumber for the Zalma sawmill.